


Forever?

by StarlightSearching18



Category: Amar a Muerte (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 07:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19330018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightSearching18/pseuds/StarlightSearching18
Summary: How I imagined the proposal/wedding would go (including Lucia because she deserved better)





	1. Chapter 1

To say Juliana is nervous would be an understatement. She isn’t sure she has any idea what she’s doing but is sure she isn’t far away from having a major breakdown over this whole thing. Would it go the way she had imagined it going for so long? Would Valentina even say yes? Would she even want to get married? Sure they had talked about it but that didn’t mean she was ready right now. Panchito had proposed in the apartment she and Lupe had shared before Juliana moved in with Valentina and she can’t recall how exactly Guille had proposed to Renata but she remembers something about a fancy restaurant being mentioned. This proposal had to be perfect and Juliana’s determination to make sure that it is hasn’t faltered since she started planning it.

Juliana had saved up for months and months prior just get a ring close enough to being worthy of representing her love for Valentina with a few chip ins here and there from Lupe despite Juliana’s protests. She wanted to do this by herself for the woman she loved who had given Juliana her all just because she could but reluctantly took the money anyway, seeing how eager her mother was about it all. The money Chino had given them had already paid for her school and she didn’t want the rest to be used on anything to do with her as she believed Lupe should have it to what she pleases with for all the years that she had to put up with him. She had even tried to convince her and Panchito to finally go on a honeymoon or a least a vacation to no avail.

Her fingers toy with the box she had concealed in her jacket pocket out of view and bites down on the nails on her other hand as Alirio pulls up outside the Carvajal mansion. She sits for several moments staring up at the house she’d been in a countless amount of times, telling Alirio she’s okay after he’d asked, seeing the girl’s current state. She’d told Valentina she was going to see her mother and stepfather and left the girl at their home before calling the Carvajals’ driver to confirm he was picking her up since Juliana couldn’t drive yet.

Now she has an important task to do. Alirio opens the car door for her and helped her out. At her girlfriend’s request, she sends Valentina a text, letting her know she has reached her destination and is safe. This was a frequent occurrence for the two of them when they were apart given all that they had been through. The silver car belonging to Valentina’s brother sits gleaming in the driveway. ‘Good. Guille and Renata made it okay,’ Juliana thinks to herself. ‘They need to be here for this,’. The house itself sits quiet and still but once the door opens, it is anything but.

The Carvajals are wonderful, kind and amazing (maybe except Eva, who had made it quite clear she wasn’t welcome but Juliana appreciated her protectiveness over Valentina nonetheless). Juliana would be the first to jump at the chance to say and then defend that but their warm, overly welcoming albeit loud nature overwhelmed her a little when she first got to know them. They are still the same now but Valentina had worked with Juliana on her anxiousness around them and now she had gotten a little more accustomed to it.

However, with a certain question on her mind distracting her, when Guille opens the door, welcomes her into the house and being immediately smothered by her hopefully soon to be in-laws, Juliana starts to feel more panicky than she already did upon arriving. She swallows all of that the best she can manage though and follows the family into the lounge area. She takes a seat next to Renata, who places a hand on her knee when she notices Juliana’s nerves, and across from Leon and Lucia. “So Juliana, what can we do for you? When you called, you said you had an important question to ask us,” Lucia starts once everyone is situated, a warm smile on her face.

Juliana nods and lets out a shaky breath , looking at each family member in turn finishing with Leon. The affection laced in his eyes isn’t something she is used given they used to belong to her father and she basks in it for a second before clearing her throat and looking at the floor. Very much aware that all eyes were on her, she wipes a hand on her leg and reaches into her pocket, wrapping her fingers around the small box. “I needed to ask you something in regards to Valentina,” she finally speaks her voice small and quiet.

“Is she okay?” Guille questions, concern in his voice.

“Oh yeah. She’s fine. Don’t worry,” Juliana assures him.

“And you’re okay?” Lucia asks, equally as concerned.

“Mhm. We’re both absolutely fine. She’s actually at home with no idea that I’m here right now,”

“Oh? You’re on a secret mission then?” Leon jokes, earning a chuckle from Juliana.

“Of sorts. I wanted to ask for all of your permission before I went ahead with something a little crazy,” A gasp comes from Lucia’s direction as she clasps Leon’s shoulder with her hand. “Is this what I think it is?” She lets out excitedly.

A small smile plays at Juliana’s lips before she pulls her hand out her pocket. “Maybe,” Renata squeals when she recognizes the object. “I know it’s not usually the done thing but I want to do this right and I’d like to get your permission, particularly yours Leon, to marry Valentina,” Juliana continues. There’s a moment of silence in which Juliana takes a breath before an explosion of noise and she’s pulled into what feels like a thousand hugs.

She doesn’t need to guess Lucia and Guille’s answers as she gets squeezed as they take turns hugging her but she turns to Leon, who gets to his feet slowly. Juliana releases what must be the millionth deep breath that day when Leon nods and smiles. She sticks her hand out towards him for him to shake. He takes it but pulls her in for hug instead. “Promise me you’ll look after her for me,” he whispers, just loud enough for Juliana to hear.

“Always,” Juliana whispers back as she’s released from his grip.

“Let us see it then,” Guille exclaims, his excitement seemingly pouring out for him.

“Yeah. Come on. Show us,” Lucia agrees.  
Juliana rolls her eyes, the gesture being nothing but affection for the people surrounding her. “It’s not big or flashy or anything and it took me forever to decide but I think I made the right choice,”. She opens the box, pointing it in Leon’s direction first. Tears well in his eyes and he pulls her in for another hug and then she shows Lucia, who does the same and states “It’s perfect,”, followed by Guille and Renata, earning hugs from them both. Even with their assurances, Juliana still feels nervous about the ring. However, as if he’s read her mind, Guille places his hand on Juliana’s shoulder and tells her that Valentina’ll love it and that makes her feel better, trusting Guille’s intuition when it comes to his little sister.

“You have to keep this a secret for me though. If her love declaration on TV is what I’m competing with, everything has to be perfect and she can’t know,” 

“Of course, Juliana. Your secret’s safe with us,” Leon reassures her. 

“You know you could do it over takeout and Valentina would still be the happiest person on the planet and claim it was the best proposal ever,” Lucia reminds Juliana. 

Juliana giggles fondly. “Yeah I know but Val deserves the best so that’s what I’m aiming for,” 

Juliana leaves the Carvajal mansion in high spirits with a bag of cookies made by Silvina under her arm,whom she also asks and receives the permission of given the woman is one of Valentina’s maternal figures.


	2. Chapter 2

“Come on, Juls. We’re not gonna get anywhere going this slow,” 

“Alright, Val. I’m coming,” 

Valentina pulls Juliana along by her hand, their fingers entwined together. The weight of Juliana’s nerves are ten times that of the weight of the box in her pocket but if you ask her, the box definitely weighs more. It’s all she can focus on properly, her prepared speech running through her head over and over. 

“Mi amor, come on. The sun’ll go down before we even get there,” Valentina exclaims, giggling. The taller of the two girls drags the other along further still. “Val, you’re gonna pull my arm out of the socket. Slow down. Fabricio and Jorge are struggling to keep up,” 

“Are you gonna tell me what’s in that bag yet?” 

“No, nosey. I told you. It’s a surprise,” 

“Give it here,” Valentina says, pouting, stopping in her tracks and reaching over to take the bag from Juliana. Their hands touch for a brief second and as it always does, Juliana’s heart skips a beat. It had done it when Valentina took her hand and held it earlier. She pulls the bag out of Valentina’s reach. “No. You have to wait,” 

“Come on then, baby. Quick,” Valentina says, huffing, turning around and pulling her forwards. “Where are we setting up camp?” 

“Er......right there,” Juliana tells her, pointing towards a patch of grass. 

“Here?” Valentina asks, getting a nod from Juliana in response. 

“It’s not quite where I wanted it to be but we can still see it from here,” 

“See what?” Valentina questions, raising an eyebrow. 

“Here,” Juliana affirms, placing her hands on Valentina’s shoulders, positioning her in a specific position. “We can see the sunset on the water and I’m told it’s supposed to be beautiful,” 

“Babe. What are we doing here exactly? There’s no-“ Valentina starts, looking over at Juliana. “Juls. Hey. Juls. Look at me,” she exclaims, raising her voice and cutting herself off after seeing the look on Juliana’s face. “Mi amor. Eyes on me, alright? Breathe,” She pulls Juliana’s hand away from her mouth and places both of her hands on the sides of her face. 

‘Can I do this?’ Juliana thinks, searching Valentina’s face. ‘Are we ready for this?’ Juliana gulps nervously. She grew up around her mother and father and as they were the only real, proper firsthand experience she has had with marriage and family. Of course, the Carvajals are wonderful and Juliana’s thankful Valentina didn’t have the upbringing she did. But that’s because they’re (mostly) good people. Lucia is incredible and kind. Leon is strong and caring. Guille is loving and loyal. Renata is sweet and understanding. Mateo is lovely and just such a nice person. They are who Valentina was surrounded by growing up and for the worst times in her life. They are the reason she is the biggest ball of sunshine, rainbows and positivity Juliana’s ever met. Who does Juliana have to lead her by example? A violent, abusive murderer and a mother who was so scared that she couldn’t help her or herself. Her bed was a couch in a trailer. She slept with shoes on just in case she had to run. What kind of family or marriage would she have if that’s all she had as an example? 

“Juls. Talk to me. Breathe for me, mi amor,” Valentina’s voice comes back into focus. Juliana gets control over her breathing again and lets Valentina calm her down. Valentina rests her forehead on Juliana’s. They stand there for a while before anger rises in Juliana. She rips herself away from Valentina, puts her hands on her head and sinks to her knees. “Babe?” 

“I can’t,” Juliana spits out. 

Valentina crouches in front of her girlfriend and grabs her hands. “Hey. What is it?” She whispers softly. 

“I can’t be here. I can’t do this,” 

“Do what? You’re scaring me Juliana,” 

“I had it all planned out and everything and now it’s just trash,” 

“No it’s not trash. This date’s been fantastic. They always are,” 

“No. Not the date, Val,” 

“Then what?” 

“It was supposed to be this whole thing and it was perfect. I went over it a billion times and -“ 

“Okay. Here. Have some water. Breathe,” Valentina says calmly, reaching into the bag and pulling out a bottle of water. 

Juliana screws the top off of the bottle and gulps down nearly half the bottle in one go. “Whoa. Easy there,” Valentina says, taking the bottle from Juliana’s grip. Juliana’s gaze is fixed firmly on the floor, unmoving. Valentina slips her fingers under Juliana’s chin and pushes it up slightly. “Show me those big beautiful eyes of yours,” she whispers, stroking Juliana’s cheek with her thumb and the ghost of Juliana’s smile hovers for a second before vanishing. Valentina pushes her back until she’s sat properly on the floor and then takes up a similar position in front of her. “You’re thinking too hard, Juls. I can practically hear the cogs whirring inside your head. What’s going on?” 

“Today was supposed to be perfect and I messed it up because my past won’t stop haunting me. Because Chino won’t stop haunting me,” 

“Chino? I thought he was long gone,” 

“He is. It’s just....ugh,” Juliana tries to explain but opts for throwing herself into Valentina’s embrace instead. 

Valentina knows better than to keep pushing so she lies back onto the grass, pulling Juliana with her, and the pair lie there for a while, Juliana’s head on Valentina’s chest and Valentina’s fingers running through Juliana’s hair. Valentina presses a kiss to Juliana’s forehead and asks “Are you okay?” to which she just receives a nod. After that, they don’t speak. Small kisses to hands and foreheads are exchanged every so often but nothing more than that. Valentina knows to not push anything and Juliana takes the opportunity to calm herself down and run over her speech in her mind. The moon is high in the dark sky by the time Juliana ultimately decides she’s just going to wing it and speak from the heart. 

Juliana lets out a small sigh of relief when she realises the ring box is in the pocket that isn’t pressed up against Valentina and stands up pulling the older girl with her. “Whoa. Slow down. What’s going on?” Valentina manages to get out. Juliana, however, stays quiet for a moment, taking deep breaths. 

“There’s something I want to do and say,” 

“Okay. Well I’m all ears,” Valentina says, concern outlining her words. 

Juliana takes another deep breath, taking Valentina’s hands in her own and looking her in the eyes. Her heart’s beating so fast she fears it might burst out from her chest. “You are the most extraordinary woman I have ever met. You are kind. You are generous. You are warm. You are welcoming. You are patient. You are strong. You have the biggest heart. A heart which is way too big for your chest. You say the smoothest things and I can’t help but smile when I’m around you, most of the time,”. That’s as far as Juliana gets before tears start to build up in both of their eyes. 

“You offered me love and support when I needed it most and even when I didn’t. Through our dads’ situation. Through my mum’s kidnapping. With Eva. When Lucho followed us to the Valle house, you protected me and even on the verge of a panic attack asked me if I was okay first. You went on national TV and told the whole of Mexico about me. When the design schools put pressure on me, you helped me sort through them and come up with the best way to move forward. You bring me tea and stay up with me until 2am when you force me to stop sketching and come to bed. You hold me so close at night that I never feel unsafe. If I have a nightmare, you’re right there to help me out,” Tears are streaming down Juliana’s face at this point but her words don’t falter. 

“Valentina Carvajal, you are the best thing that ever happened to me and unless we adopt a puppy, you always will be,” Juliana says jokingly, Valentina chuckling in response. “I love you. More than any set of words could ever express but I hope this will help you understand at least half of the amount of love my heart holds for you,” Juliana drops one of Valentina’s hands to reach into her pocket. She pulls out the concealed box and a gasp falls from Valentina’s lips, not dissimilar to the way one has fallen from Lucia’s. 

Juliana takes another deep breath. “I wanted to do this right. For it to be perfect. Because you deserve it. You deserve the perfect moment where there’s a thousand roses and a string quartet and all of the other ridiculously cheesy stuff you’ve dreamt about. But as I was on a bit of a budget,” Juliana stops to reach into the bag and pulls out a singular white rose and her phone. 

With Eso Es Amor playing quietly in the background, Juliana turns to Valentina again, holding one of her hands in tight grip, and gets down on one knee. She looks up at the love of her life, who has her other hand over her mouth and matching tears streaming down her face. 

“Valentina. You are every bit as magical as a fairytale princess and you radiate more light than any star in the sky ever could. I hope I am worthy enough to fill in as your Prince Charming for the rest of your life. I promise I’ll protect you and love you and care for you until my dying day. Nothing will ever tear us apart. Even if you are my grandmother in the next life,” Juliana finishes her speech laughing slightly and opens the box, a reminder of their pact being her closing statement. “Valentina Carvajal, will you do me the greatest honour a princess could bestow upon her prince and make me and hopefully yourself ridiculously happy? Will you marry me?” 

Valentina launches herself at Juliana and the two girls fall back against the grass. “A million times yes,” Valentina whispers in Juliana’s ear before exploding into a frenzied kiss attack. When she calms down, they sit up. Juliana slips her ring onto Valentina’s finger and offers her the rose which Valentina gladly takes. “You planned all of this for me?” She asks. 

“Well I mean it’s not much but-“ 

“It’s incredible, Juls. I can’t believe this. And this ring. Oh my god. So beautiful. And this rose,” 

“The lady at the shop said among other things, a white rose symbolises pure love and that’s all I feel when I look at you. Pure love,” Juliana explains, wiping her face. At a loss for words, Valentina kisses Juliana and whispers that she loves her. 

After the initial excitement dies down a little, the now engaged couple sit on the grass, side by side under a blanket Lupe has thrown at Juliana as she was leaving their apartment earlier that day. “I’m sorry for my little freakout earlier. I was just nervous,” 

“You have nothing to apologize for, mi amor. It was perfect. But let me guess. You were thinking about your parents and what their marriage was like,” 

“How do you do that? Do you and Guille have magic powers or something? He did that the other day,”

“Guille?”

“Yeah. I was worried you wouldn’t like the ring and he assured me you would without me saying anything,” 

“The ring’s perfect. I love it. But Guille knows?”

“Yeah. I asked for his blessing. You know, to marry you. Your dad’s and Lucia’s too,” 

“You are so cute,” Valentina almost yells, placing kisses on Juliana’s cheeks in quick succession. 

Neither of them can stop smiling the whole way home. Their hands don’t leave each other’s and they do nothing but giggle until Alirio pulls up outside their home. He gets out and opens the door for them. “We’re here señoritas,” he says, helping them both out of the car. “And may I be the first of many to offer my congratulations,” 

“Thank you, Alirio,” Valentina says, hugging the longtime driver in excitement before reconnecting her hand with Juliana’s. The driver nods in their direction, gets in the family’s car and pulls away. Valentina turns to Juliana, smile as wide as ever, kisses her and pulls her towards their front door. “We should wait til tomorrow to tell everyone,” she says as they enter their home. 

“Of course, Val. It’s late anyway,” Juliana reminds her. 

“No. I mean yeah, it’s late but what I meant was,” Valentina turns to face Juliana “I think we’ll be a little too busy to tell them tonight. A lot too busy actually,” she remarks suggestively, running her hand up Juliana’s arm. She pulls at her jacket as Juliana’s hands find their place at her waist. “Oh,” is all Juliana manages to say before Valentina’s lips connect to hers. Valentina turns away and walks towards the stairs. She looks back over her shoulder at Juliana, who just stares at her. “You coming?”


	3. Chapter 3

Scoring that yes, the proposal having happened nearly a year prior, now seemed like it took no effort at all. Deciding what her last name’s going to be an almost impossible task. Juliana wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of any association with the name Valdès but taking Carvajal felt like a cheap move on her part, given the family’s status versus her own. Valentina had said she didn’t mind either way but Juliana doesn’t want her to force her to have to associate with her poor excuse of a father. 

A soft “Juls,” comes from behind her. The bed shifts and long, slender arms work their way around her waist. Valentina presses a kiss to Juliana’s shoulder. “You’re missing the best part. Meg comes in here. She’s by far one of the best Disney characters of all time,” 

“It’s our 5th Disney movie this week. And let’s be honest, it’s gonna take a lot to beat Mushu,” Juliana retorts. “Dishonour! Dishonour on your whole family, dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow!” She quotes, trying out her best Mushu impression, the line having cracked both girls up multiple times earlier in the week. A laugh erupts from Valentina, not expecting that from Juliana. Juliana giggles in response. Once she stops, however, her mood sours.

“Well how do you know she doesn’t beat Mushu if you’re sat staring at the wall, facing away from the TV?” Valentina asks, placing another kiss on Juliana’s shoulder.  
“Besides, whilst it’s not your fault you haven’t seen any Disney films when you were a kid, it’s surely my job as your fiancée to catch you up,” Juliana just hums in response at that. 

“What’cha thinking about?” 

“Nothing, Val,” Juliana states plainly. 

“Nothing, huh? You might wanna tell that to the steam coming out your ears,” Valentina whispers against Juliana shoulder with a smile. 

“I dunno, Val...” 

“We’ve talked about this, babe. I know you struggle with your words but I’m here to help you. With anything,” 

“I know,” 

“Come on then. What’s on your mind?” 

“I....I just feel conflicted. You know, about the whole last names situation,” 

“What’s the issue?” 

“Well....on one hand, I’d wanna get rid of Valdès. I’m the only left with it and it should die with me and you shouldn’t have to be forced to take it and be connected to a criminal,” 

“Okay. Then take Carvajal,” 

“But that makes me feel cheap. Like I’m some sort of leech or something. Your dad worked hard for his money and status and I’d come in and get that immediately just coz I married his daughter. It doesn’t feel right,” 

“You are not a leech,” 

Juliana’s voice comes out small and barely audible but since she paused the film, it wasn’t too much of struggle for Valentina to hear. “Makes me feel like one. Makes me feel like Eva was right,” 

“No. Eva was not right,” Valentina attempts to reassure her. “Remember all the times you refused to take any money or help? If you were a leech or an opportunist, you would’ve taken those when I offered, no?” Juliana stays silent. “Hey. Look at me,” she says a little softer, loosening her hold on her. 

Juliana turns and her gaze lands on her favourite pair of eyes. “Carvajal. Valdès. It doesn’t matter. And as far as I’m concerned, I’m connected to you and you only with Valdès. Or, we could even do one of them cool, hyphenated names. You know, like the double barrel ones. Like Juliana Carvajal-Valdès. Oooo. Or Juliana Valdès-Carvajal. Whichever way round you prefer. Or we could do a smash cut or whatever they’re called of our names. Like Carvaldès. Anything you want,” 

“We have 2 weeks to decide, Val,” 

Valentina places her hand on Juliana’s cheek. “I know, baby. We’ll figure it out. Is there one you’re leaning towards at least?” 

“I dunno.....maybe....the hyphenated one,” 

“Yeah? You like that idea?” Valentina asks with a smile. Juliana nods and Valentina continues. “Okay, so Juliana and Valentina Carvajal-Valdès or Juliana and Valentina Valdès-Carvajal?” 

Juliana shrugs. “Well Valdès and Valentina both start with V so maybe we should go with Carvajal first” 

“I’m cool with whatever, babe. Let’s go with that, yeah?” 

“Sure,” 

“Come on,” Valentina pulls gently on Juliana’s shoulders until she’s lying back down. “You’ll love this next scene,” 

“Hey, Val?”

“Yeah?” 

“What’s that little green guy from the Rapunzel film called?” 

“Tangled, Juls. And Pascal, I think,”  
_______________________________________

Juliana bites on her fingernails and her leg bounces as she sits on a bench outside the venue. They were unsure whether they could get a church for the wedding so Valentina suggested a manor house instead. Lupe stands just in front of her pacing back and forth, looking through the window every so often waiting for the signal. “Ma, stop pacing, would you? It’s making me more nervous than I already am,” 

“Sorry. I’m nervous too, though. I’m giving away my only child today. I have the right,” 

“I know, Ma. It’s okay. Just relax,” Juliana says, pulling at the bottom of her dress anxiously. Looking towards the fence that runs around the venue, she hopes that the security team can fend off the growing crowd of paparazzi for long enough. Panchito signals Lupe from the inside and she helps Juliana to her feet. “Hey, let me get that,” Lupe says, leaning down to tie the laces on Juliana’s fresh, new, white converse. “I don’t know why you didn’t wanna wear heels,” 

“They’re uncomfortable and a death trap. I don’t wanna trip and break my face on my wedding day,” Lupe stands, rolling her eyes at her daughter’s dramatics, and Juliana links her arm through hers. 

“You ready, Juli?” 

“As I’ll ever be,” She says, nodding and taking a deep breath. One of many of Valentina’s bodyguards opens the door and the wedding march drifts out from the inside. Juliana and her mother take cautious but quite quick steps up to the altar, neither of the women wanting to be the center of attention for long. She makes eye contact with Perlita and Panchito as she passes them and looks across towards Lucia, who smiles at her with tears in eyes before mouthing ‘You look beautiful’ to her. “At least Valentina’ll take the attention away once she gets here,” Juliana whispers to her mother, smiling. They reach the alter and Lupe lifts Juliana’s veil, leaving her to join Panchito on the front row on the left side designated for Juliana’s invited guests (being just her family and several friend from her school and funnily enough, Barbara the Witch). 

The music dies down and Juliana bounces on the balls of her feet. There’s a mass of voices that occurs outside and a car rumbles to a stop outside. The engine cuts out. “Valentina”. She whispers, smiling softly. The doors swing open once more and everyone stands up when the music begins again as they had done for Juliana. 

Juliana takes a deep breath and looks towards the ceiling. ‘This is it’ she thinks before turning to look at the door. Valentina walks slowly toward the front, her arms linked with Leon and Guille. She couldn’t decide who she wanted to give her away so she’s having them both do it. A wide ear to ear smile spreads across both of the brides’ faces as they make eye contact. 

Once the three Carvajals reach the front, Leon turns to Valentina and lifts her veil the same way Lupe had done and kisses both of her cheeks. “Mi vida, you are so beautiful. I’m so proud of you......Your mother would have been too,” he says as he pulls back. He lifts her left hand up and Guille places his hand on top as together, they pass it to Juliana. Valentina then stands side by side with her almost wife as the boys find their seats next to Lucia and Renata in the front row on the right side. 

The two girls can’t help but stare at each other for a moment as they hadn’t seen each other for a week, leading up to the events taking place. Valentina’s dress reaches the floor with a train longer than Juliana could see from her position. The dress itself’s a floor-length white number with a silver tint to it and is cut to a V shape neckline that stops on her chest . Valentina’s hair is pulled back into a braid which hangs down her back. Juliana leans across to whisper “You’re gorgeous,” into Valentina’s ear as the only available marriage officiant who would do a same sex wedding begins his spiel. She half expects Eva to burst through the doors at any moment when the speak now or forever hold your peace bit happens. 

“Says you,” Valentina responds quietly, taking in Juliana’s calf-length dress with sheer lace in the back and lace for the sleeves, giggling at her choice of footwear. “You’ve never looked more breathtaking,”

The officiant turns to Valentina first as rehearsed and asks for her vows. She nods and hands her red and white rose bouquet to Lucia. Taking Juliana’s hands in hers, she catches her gaze and holds it. “You and I have been through hell and back. I don’t need to tell you that. What I can tell you though is that I’m in love with you and I haven’t stopped falling since that day in the boutique the day of Guille’s party that year. I know that seems really early on but I can truly and freely stand here in front of you and our family and friends here today and say that that was when everything began for me. You make me laugh and smile like nobody’s business and there’s not a day that goes by where that doesn’t happen. I never believed in love until you came along and completely turned my world upside down and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Sometimes, I look at you and still can’t believe you chose me. Juliana, you are the light and love of my life and the fire in my soul. I’ll follow you and love you to the ends of the earth and I am truly humbled and grateful that I stand before you today to become your wife,” After she’s finished, she lifts Juliana’s hands to her lips and places several kisses on her knuckles. The two girls are smiling wider than they’ve ever smiled with tears in their eyes. 

“Juliana, your vows if you will,” 

“Of course,” she says, clearing her throat anxiously. She catches Leon’s eye over his daughter’s shoulder. He smiles warmly at her and that spurs her on. Her eyes connect with Valentina’s again. “Val, I don’t even know where to begin with you but I’ll keep it short since I kinda already did the whole speech thing. You lifted the weight of the world that I was carrying off of my shoulders when we first met and taught me how to float. Your love and compassion is infectious. I never imagined back in San Antonio that one day, I would be standing here looking into my favourite pair of eyes in the whole world and be getting prepared to continue the whirlwind of the adventure of a lifetime that knowing and loving you has been. I promise to fight to keep that smile on your face every single day and you’ll never face anything alone. I got you and you got me, always”

It’s safe to say there’s not a dry eye in the room when Juliana stops talking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long one to close it out and to celebrate the exceptional news we’ve received :)

“The reception’s the best part, Juliana. We get to celebrate us, our marriage, with the people we love,” 

“I don’t see why we can’t just go home and cuddle up on the couch,” Juliana whines, smoothing down her shirt. She felt she would ruin the dress throughout the night so she had folded it and placed in the back of her mother’s car and changed into more comfortable attire. An outfit not dissimilar to the one she’d worn when she started teaching Valentina to dance for the first time. Black jeans paired a shirt she had made for herself to wear in the weeks prior to the wedding when she wasn’t working on things for class. She kept her white converse on though. 

“Jesus, Juliana. We can do that later all these people came to watch us get married and besides, we have all the time in the world to cuddle,” Valentina says, running her fingers through Juliana’s hair slowly. She moves closer to her wife and whispers. “Among other things,” 

Juliana shivers. “You know I’m not comfortable in crowds of people,” 

“I know babe but these are people who love you,” 

Juliana sighs but doesn’t speak again. “I’m going in. Are you coming?” 

“In a minute, Val,” 

“Alright. I’ll see you inside. Don’t forget we have to cut the cake and all that. Oh and our first dance as Mrs and Mrs, mi amor,” 

I know, baby. I didn’t forget,” Juliana says, kissing Valentina quickly. When she’s alone, her legs can’t seem to hold her up for much longer and she sits on the steps leading up to the Carvajal mansion with her head in her hands, breathing heavily. ‘What am I gonna do?’ she thinks. She isn’t sure she’ll be able to do this after all. They’d discussed having a party for the reception and it seemed like a good idea but after she and Valentina welcomed car after car full of guests, her anxiety worsened and her head felt like it was going to explode. 

The door opens not long after Valentina goes inside and music blasts out for few seconds before it closes again. Juliana doesn’t look up when someone sits next to her. She can’t face another heated discussion right now. “What are you doing out here, lovely?” It’s Panchito. Juliana shrugs.

“Taking a breather?” 

“Yeah, I guess,” she says in a monotonous voice. Close enough. 

“What’s going on, Juli? You’ve got that same look in your eyes your mum gets when something heavy’s on her mind,” 

She bites on her nails anxiously for a minute before answering. “I just don’t see the need for this big party. I don’t like crowds and I don’t know half the people in there. I just feel uncomfortable,” 

“It’s your wedding day. You should partying up a storm in there,” 

“It’s just-,” Juliana cuts herself off with another sigh. How can she explain this without feeling like a complete idiot and ruining the whole day? 

“Hey. I get it. It’s a big deal. You’re the center of attention when you don’t particularly want to be and you’ve had to put up with all the press this week without Vale’s help. It’s stressful,” 

“I just wanted something similar to what you and Mum did. A quiet night in sort of celebration. Not all this. I did the grand gesture thing coz Val deserves it but this is all a little much. I thought I would’ve handled it a lot better but it’s just hard,” 

“I know, Juli but listen. This is your night. Yours and Valentina’s, no? So why don’t you just give it a try for a couple of hours? You can always escape to the kitchen if you need to. Or Vale’s old room. Your mum and I can even run distractions if necessary. You know no one can resist a dance battle,” 

She smiles lightly. “I dunno, Panchito,” 

“Your wife is in there, wanting to celebrate her marriage to you. I’m sure she wouldn’t be opposed to leaving a little early if you just gave the party a try, hm?” 

“She’s been doing this all of her life. The parties. The mingling. The polite conversations. I know it’s been a long time for me as well but I just don’t know if I can,” 

“Juliana. You’re one of the strongest people I know. You have control. You have the power. You’ve got this,”. He takes her hands and holds them out flat and together so her palms face the sky. “Right, here,” 

She thinks it over for a while before conceding. “Okay,” 

“Yeah?” Panchito asks with a smile. Juliana hums in agreement. 

“Come on then. Let’s go show ‘em what you’re made of,” he says, standing up.  
Juliana stands with him. Panchito turns to go back inside but Juliana stops him to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. He laughs a little, returning the hug and kissing the top of Juliana’s head. “Thank you,” she whispers. 

“Of course, sweetheart. Anytime. Now come on. I’ve heard Silvina’s apple pie is to die for,” Panchito says and Juliana lets out a loud laugh. 

“Yeah. It’s pretty good,” she tells him as they walk inside.  
________________________________________

Meanwhile, inside the reception, Valentina’s in the garden where all the tables are set up and the guests are sat, making her rounds. “Thank you,” she responds when a family friend tells her the ceremony was beautiful. “Have you seen Guille anywhere?” 

She gets an “I think he might be inside,” in response and she thanks them before heading in that direction. “Guille?” She calls out. The man in question walks towards her with a bottle of champagne and four glasses. “Guille!” She exclaims as she spots him, tackling him into a hug. 

“Be careful, hermanita! We don’t wanna ruin that dress now, do we?” He scolds her playfully, placing his hands on his younger sister’s back best he can. 

“How are you?” She asks. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You look a little stressed,” he says, searching her eyes.

“Maybe like 2% stressed. This whole day has been focused on me though. I wanna know how you’re doing,” 

“Well my little sister just got married to the love of her life so I can’t complain,” he says, laughing. Valentina doesn’t respond.  
“Hey what’s up?” 

“Nothing,” 

“Vale,” he says, clearly concerned. “Come on. Let’s go talk,” he walks to hand the bottle and glasses to Renata, explaining the situation to his wife before pulling Vale into the dining area. “Sit,” he says, pulling the chair out for Valentina. Once she takes a seat, he sits on the chair next to her. He places his hand on hers. “So....why is my gorgeous little sister 2% stressed on her wedding day? This is supposed to be the easy part,” 

Valentina puts her hand on her face. “Juliana,” 

“What about her?” You don’t regret today, do you?” 

“No, of course not, Guillermo. How could you say that?” 

He raises his hands in defense. “Sorry. I’m just trying to help,” 

“I love her. I’m in love with her,” 

“I know, hermanita,” 

“It’s just she didn’t want to come to the reception. I’m starting to think I made a mistake with this whole party thing,” 

“Did she say why?” 

“Something about the crowds and the attention. I should’ve known,” 

“Vale. You know she still struggles with all that stuff. She panics enough when she’s just here with the family. She grew up with only her mother looking out for her and she was constantly watching over her shoulder. Now she’s got a lot of people in her corner. She’s not used to all this quite yet. Especially with family friends she’s not comfortable around. It can take years to learn to cope trauma. Decades even. You’ve both been through a hell of a lot. It still hurts me to think about Paola after all this time so I can’t imagine what Juliana’s going through,” Guille explains. 

“I know. I know. And she’s used to being invisible and not have everyone’s eyes on her,” 

“Yeah. However, having said all that, I genuinely don’t think Juliana minds. You and her could be the only two people in the room when she has her eyes on you as far as she’s concerned,” 

Valentina can’t contain her smile and it spreads from ear to ear. She has noticed the glint in her beloved’s eyes when she gets the chance to stare into them. 

“See?” Guille says with a smirk. “There’s our happy Valentina,” 

Valentina smiles. “Shut up,” 

“Right. I think I better go find my wife. There’s a bottle of champagne with my name on it. You should find yours,” 

“My wife,” she squeals in excitement. She’d been wanting to call Juliana that for a long time and now that the moment where she can do it for the rest of her life is here she can barely contain herself. 

“Ahhhh!” Guille whisper shouts, imitating a crowd at a concert or something similar. “Your wife. Little Valentina all grown up. Can you believe it?” Excitement bubbles in his voice as he stands, kisses Valentina’s forehead and starts to leave. “Hey,” He says, turning back to look at her once more. “I hope Juliana taught you to dance well enough. We wouldn’t want a repeat of your quinceañera, now would we, Mrs. Two Left Feet?,” 

“I’ll get you for that, brother of mine. Just you wait,” she says, narrowing her eyes at him. She was lucky to have him. He’d been her port of call for just about everything in her life and their relationship means more to her than he’ll probably ever know.  
________________________________________

Valentina finds Juliana talking with a guest in the kitchen by the drinks table. She slips her arms round Juliana’s waist, making the younger girl jump. “Hey, Verónica. Can I be terribly rude and borrow my wife for like two minutes?” She says with a smile. The blonde from Juliana’s class smiles, says “No worries,”, congratulates the couple again and leaves, taking two glasses of wine with her.

“So.....Mrs Carvajal-Valdès, do you come here often?” She jokes, trying to ease the tension that’s settled between the two of them. Juliana turns in Valentina’s arms. “Hey,” Valentina whispers when their eyes meet. 

“Val,” 

“What?” 

“What are you doing?” 

“Can’t I hold my wife in my arms?” 

Juliana attempts and fails to suppress a smile at Valentina calling her her wife. They’d done it. After everything, they’re here, they’re happy and glowing and they’re married. “You can but wouldn’t you rather be celebrating right now? You know, out there?” 

“Mmm. I dunno. I mean the only person i could possibly want to celebrate with is in here,” 

“Oh, really? Should I leave you two alone then?” 

Valentina giggles and slaps Juliana’s arm lightly. 

But seriously, Val, your family, I mean, our family is out there and we-,”

“Well my whole world’s in here,” 

Juliana rolls her eyes affectionately. “Gross. So, um, what’s with the change in mood? You looked ready to kill me earlier,” 

“Come on. I wouldn’t have killed you. I love you too much to do that. Maybe just roughed you up a little,” That gets a laugh out of Juliana, who rests her forehead on Valentina’s. 

“Yeah. You couldn’t hurt a fly but I love you too,” 

“Hey. I so could. I have muscles,” Valentina boasts, flexing.

Juliana laughs, shaking her head. “Okay, Dwayne Johnson. I think you and I are due to dance. You know first dance as a married couple or something else as equally as cheesy,” Juliana says quietly. 

“You ready?” Valentina asks. 

Juliana stands up straight. “Mmm, not yet,” she says and captures Valentina’s lips in a soft kiss. “Okay. Now I’m ready,” 

“You sure? We could do a little more preparing if you like,” Valentina whispers, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“Get out there, weirdo,” 

“You love me,” 

“That I do, Val. That I do,”  
________________________________________

“Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome the happy couple,” Lucia announces as the girls walk into the garden. “If you’d like to turn your attention to the dancefloor, they’re about to have their first dance,” 

When they grace the floor, all eyes are on them. Cameras, too. Juliana, hyper aware of this, shakily puts one hand on Valentina’s waist and the other in her other hand. “Hey. Juls. Eyes on mine remember?” is whispered into her ear as they begin dancing. When she lifts her eyes from her feet to look at Valentina’s, she finds nothing but love. “It’s okay. Just you and me,” 

“They’re all watching us,” 

“I don’t see anyone,” 

“Val,” Juliana protests.

“All I see is you right now,” 

Juliana’s face softens and she leans forward to kiss Valentina. Their surroundings appear fade away as the dance continues and suddenly everything is at peace again. “You are so beautiful,” she tells Valentina. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” 

“You might have some stiff competition there,” 

“Yeah?” 

“Mhm. You’ll have to fight me for that title,” 

“Bring it, babe,” 

As the song and therefore the dance slowly comes to an end, the guests erupts into applause and cheers. Valentina melts into Juliana’s arms and hugs her tightly, her face finding the shorter woman’s neck as it always does. “Come on, Val. I think your dad might want to steal you for a dance or two,” Juliana whispers, leading Valentina backwards off of the dancefloor. She mumbles against Juliana’s neck. “I can’t hear you babe,” 

Valentina groans and pulls her head up. “I don’t wanna leave you,” 

“He’s your dad. Go give him his daddy-daughter dance, hm?” 

“Fine,” Valentina says, pretending to sulk the entire walk over to her dad. Once she gets there, however, she’s all smiles. She truly is the most breathtaking woman Juliana’s ever seen. 

“May I have this dance?” a voice says from behind Juliana. She jumps and whips around to see her mother stood there with her hand outstretched in her direction, a bright smile on her face. Juliana doesn’t think she’s seen a smile that bright from her mum since probably her own wedding day. “Of course, Mama,” she says, matching her smile and taking her hand. 

The rest of the night goes by in a blur of speeches, toasts, tears and happiness but not without 2 embarrassing parent moments, one of which actually being a dance battle between Panchito and Mateo. By the time the guests leave and everyone’s cleaning up, Juliana’s just about ready to crash. Whilst cleaning up the glasses in the kitchen, she accidentally knocks over an almost empty bottle of beer. She sighs before grabbing something to clean it up with. “Here. Let me get that,” Lucia says, having seen the mishap upon entering the kitchen. 

“Oh. Thank you, Lucia,” 

“Of course. Can’t have either of the blushing brides working too hard,” 

Juliana smiles fondly at her new mother-in -law. “So, how’s it feel being married?”

“Weird but also not that different, really. I mean I love the thought of being married to Valentina but I don’t think it’ll change our relationship all that much, y’know?,” 

“Yeah. Absolutely. It’ll probably just make it stronger,”

“Lucia. Can I ask you something?” Juliana asks quietly, shuffling on her feet. 

“Of course, honey,” 

Juliana’s eyes stay fixed on the ground. “Did you ever feel nervous taking Leon’s name? Did you ever feel....I dunno....cheap? Were you ever worried about what people would say?”

“All the time. Doubts invaded my mind right up until I stood in front of him at the altar,” 

“What changed?” 

“I looked into his eyes and found that love and only love resided there and my heart swelled. At the best of times, love is complicated but.....true love. True love is worth it. Anything anyone could possibly say about me or my marriage is worth it as long as that man looks at me and loves me the way he does,” 

Juliana nods, finally looking up. “Thank you, Lucia. For everything,”. She wraps the blonde woman in an unexpected, tight hug. She hadn’t expected to click with Lucia as well as she has but is extremely grateful for the woman’s presence in her life and her endless support. Considering it’d just been her and her mother and that’s how it seemed like it would’ve been for a while, she hasn’t banked on this amazing family that she’s now a part of. 

“For you and Vale. Anything. Anytime,” Lucia says, rubbing Juliana’s back. 

“Why did no one invite us to the hugging fest?” Leon’s voice booms out, startling the two women. “Group hug!” He shouts. He runs over, wrapping his arms around them both, Valentina, Guille, Renata and even Lupe and Panchito joining him. “Ah. The perfect end to a perfect day,” he says, ruffling Guille’s hair. 

“It’s not over yet.” Panchito says. I believe another dance battle is in order. Who’s gonna take me on? Guille? Fancy taking on the champ?” 

“Bring it on,” Guille yells, squaring up. Everyone rushes outside, leaving Valentina and Juliana alone in the kitchen. 

“Well, mi amor, what do you think? Was it the perfect day?” Valentina says, taking Juliana’s hands in her own, intertwining all of their fingers. 

“Absolutely,” she says, planting kisses all over Valentina’s face, ending with her nose and then finally her lips. 

“Come on lovebirds. You’re missing it,” Lupe shouts to them over the music. 

“After you,” Juliana gestures, following her wife outside. This is their family forever now and both girls couldn’t be smiling any wider of they tried.


End file.
